Home

canoniche

Canoniche is an Italian term that can function as the feminine plural of canonico or as a feminine noun or adjective related to canons. In ecclesiastical usage, canoniche often designates female members of a cathedral chapter, commonly translated into English as canonesses. Canonesses lived in a religious community governed by a rule and under the authority of the chapter to which they belonged. Their duties and daily life varied by house, but could include liturgical services, education, charitable works, and prayers for the community and lay benefactors. The institution was particularly prominent in medieval and early modern Europe, with canonesses attached to cathedrals or collegiate churches. Attendance and attire, as well as the requirements for entry,endowment by noble or lay patrons, and the possibility of certain rights or privileges, differed across regions and periods.

Beyond its noun use, canoniche also appears as the feminine form of the adjective canonic or canonical

in
Italian,
modifying
feminine
nouns.
In
this
sense,
it
is
used
in
discussions
of
canon
law,
theology,
and
liturgy
to
refer
to
sources,
norms,
or
texts
deemed
canonical.
Examples
include
fonti
canoniche
(canonical
sources)
and
norme
canoniche
(canonical
norms).
The
term
is
part
of
the
broader
vocabulary
of
diritto
canonico
(canon
law)
and
is
encountered
in
Catholic
legal
and
historical
contexts.